Grilled Cuban Sandwich Recipe

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Summer is less than 2 weeks away. It may technically be spring but we’ve already had some sweltering summer weather here at the Jersey shore. The kind of weather where the last thing I want to do is heat up he house by using the oven. That’s one of the biggest reasons I grill outdoors during the summer, along with increasing the variety of flavors we can enjoy and decreasing the amount of pots and pans that have to be washed. Just because I’m spending less time washing pots and pans doesn’t mean I want to spend my time cooking elaborate meals that call for hours of prep. Times like these are when I rely on versatile products that help me make a tasty meal without tons of effort, such as Smithfield Marinated Fresh Pork.

Smithfield Marinated Fresh Pork is made with 100% fresh pork and real, all-natural ingredients, as opposed to chemical-sounding names you can’t pronounce. Their Marinated Fresh Pork is versatile enough for all types of meals, from casual meals to more formal entertaining. It can be grilled, roasted, sauteed or slow-cooked, making it a great solution for a hassle-free meal. Using Smithfield Marinated Fresh Pork saves you the trouble of figuring out how to prepare pork and having to marinate it for hours or longer. It’s ready to use right out of the package, giving you real fresh pork with real flavor, real fast (approximately 30 minutes or less). Where can you get such a magical-sounding food? At your nearby Walmart! It’s right in the meat case, along with all of the other Smithfield® pork poducts you know. Talk about convenient!

Making a Grilled Cuban Sandwich is one of our favorite ways to use a Smithfield Roasted Garlic & Herb Fresh Pork Loin Filet, which is one of our two favorite flavors. It takes just under 30 minutes to cook the fresh pork and prepare the grilled sandwich. Here’s how I make it.

A Grilled Cuban Sandwich is tastier than Cuban sandwiches prepared in other ways because grilling it allows the flavors and textures to marry.

One Grilled Cuban Sandwich can feed one or two people, depending on how hungry they are.

Equipment Needed

grill

tongs

aluminum foil

brick or cast iron skillet (You’re going to need something heavy to make the panini on the grill. The two simplest options are a cast iron skillet or a brick wrapped in foil. I used a brick.)

Ingredients

1x Smithfield Roasted Garlic & Herb Fresh Pork Loin Filet

3 slices Virginia ham per sandwich

4 slices swiss cheese per sandwich

3 thin garlic pickle slices per sandwich

mustard

2x slices panella bread per sandwich (This is a very wide bread that’s sort of a cross between white and Italian.)

Instructions

Preheat the grill to 400 f.

While the grill is heating up, butterfly cut the pork filet. To do this, slice the filet lengthwise horizontally but do not do all of the way through.

Open the butterflied pork filet and place it onto a large piece of foil.

Place the pork filet onto the grill and cook it over direct heat for 7 minutes per side.

Once you’ve finished cooking the pork, remove it from the grill and set aside to rest. Leave the grill lit.

Now’s it’s time to prepare the Grilled Cuban Sandwich.

Place the 2 slices of bread onto a large piece of aluminum foil.

Spread a thin layer of butter onto the outside of both slices of bread.

Spread a thin layer of mustard onto the inside of both slices of bread.

Carve thin slices of pork from one end of the filet. Don’t carve the entire filet, only carve enough for the number of sandwiches you’re making. Each sandwich will require 2-4 slices.

Cover one of the pieces of bread with 2-4 slices of cooked pork.

Place 2 slices of swiss cheese on top of the pork.

Place the ham slices on top of the cheese, then the pickles on top of the ham.

Place the remaining 2 slices of swiss cheese on top of the pickles.

Put the other slice of bread (butter side up) on to complete the sandwich.

Fold all four sides of the foil the bread is on in to wrap the sandwich completely.

Time to go back to the grill!

Place the foil wrapped sandwich onto the grill. Put the brick on top of the sandwich and press down firmly.

Close the grill and let cook for about 3 minutes.

Open the grill and turn the sandwich over.

Put the brick back on top of the sandwich and press down firmly again, then close the grill and cook for another 3 minutes.

Remove the sandwich from the grill and turn the grill off.

Unwrap and slice the Grilled Cuban Sandwich and serve it immediately with your favorite sides.

Should you have leftover pork, it’s perfect for using in salad, rice and burritos.

Serving this Grilled Cuban Sandwich will make you the hero of the grill for sure! And speaking of that…

Contest Alert

Smithfield wants to celebrate grilling heroes and inspire everyone to get grilling all summer long with their “Hero of the Grill” contest. To join in the fun, check out the Hero of the Grill Contest and Sweepstakes at SmithfieldGetGrilling.com. Once there, you can nominate someone who inspired you to get grilling for a chance for your hero to win $5,000! Plus, the first 10,000 nominees will have the chance to have their name featured on Aric Almirola’s #10 Ford at the Richmond race this September. This site is a great way for you to find lots of grilling inspiration, and be entered for a chance to win prizes EVERY DAY!

Instructions

Preheat the grill to 400 f. While the grill is heating up, butterfly cut the pork filet. To do this, slice the filet lengthwise horizontally but do not do all of the way through. Open the butterflied pork filet and place it onto a large piece of foil. Place the pork filet onto the grill and cook it over direct heat for 7 minutes per side. Once you've finished cooking the pork, remove it from the grill and set aside to rest. Leave the grill lit. Now's it's time to prepare the sandwich. Place the 2 slices of bread onto a large piece of aluminum foil. Spread a thin layer of butter onto the outside of both slices of bread. Spread a thin layer of mustard onto the inside of both slices of bread. Carve thin slices of pork from one end of the filet. Don't carve the entire filet, only carve enough for the number of sandwiches you're making. Each sandwich will require 2-4 slices. Cover one of the pieces of bread with 2-4 slices of cooked pork. Place 2 slices of swiss cheese on top of the pork. Place the ham slices on top of the cheese, then the pickles on top of the ham. Place the remaining 2 slices of swiss cheese on top of the pickles. Put the other slice of bread (butter side up) on to complete the sandwich. Fold all four sides of the foil the bread is on in to wrap the sandwich completely. Time to go back to the grill! Place the foil wrapped sandwich onto the grill. Put the brick on top of the sandwich and press down firmly. Close the grill and let cook for about 3 minutes. Open the grill and turn the sandwich over. Put the brick back on top of the sandwich and press down firmly again, then close the grill and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove the sandwich from the grill and turn the grill off. Unwrap the sandwich and slice the sandwich diagonally. Serve immediately with your favorite sides.

I love Cuban food, the fact on our recent trip to Miami and Florida Keys I was really searching for a great Cuban restaurant. Lucky i found one now I miss it already. I would love to try this sandwich so bad.

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